U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,806 discloses a hydraulic power steering gear for steering a vehicle. The steering gear disclosed in the '806 patent is a rack and pinion steering gear which includes a hydraulic ram including a metal power cylinder. The steering gear also includes a metal support sleeve and a plastic shell. The metal power cylinder, together with a movable piston, defines first and second hydraulic fluid chambers. The first and second hydraulic fluid chambers are defined on opposite sides of the piston, which is fixed to the rack within the cylinder. The metal support sleeve has an upper end portion containing a hydraulic fluid control valve and has a lower end portion containing the pinion. The valve in the metal support sleeve operates in response to relative rotation between an input shaft and the pinion to direct a flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid against the piston in the metal power cylinder. The plastic shell extends between one end of the metal power cylinder and the lower end portion of the metal support sleeve. The plastic shell and the metal support sleeve together form a metal/plastic housing for the valve and the pinion.